Hawkman #11
Cody White
Recap
All of the various Hawkman incarnations called upon last issue battle valiantly alongside Carter Hall against the Deathbringer armies. Nearly half of the issue serves as a roll call for the various Hawkmans called upon.
Carter spends the other half of the issue engaged in dialogue with Idamm, telling him of the strength and power of "good" while the Hawkmans fall around them. By the end, Idamm flees back to the Deathbringers to begin the eradication of Earth as Carter's words fall on deaf ears.
Review
This was the first issue of the series where I found myself lost, questioning the direction of this single issue. The roll call through the various Hawkmans was entertaining although it could be argued that it was strictly fan service. The excitement of seeing all of these different versions converge in once moment was dulled by what felt like a narrative stall, pausing for too long in the moment of battle. The extended sequence of Carter trying to reason with Idamm felt forced and somewhat cliche (good guy tries to explain to bad guy why good guy is good and bad guy could be good if he just wanted to). I’ve come to expect better of Venditti and expect this issue to merely be a blip in otherwise exceptional run.
Hitch, of course, shines throughout this issue (as per usual) and his partnership with Currie and Skipper will be sorely missed as next issue is Bryan’s last of the run.
Final Thoughts
Hawkman #11 suffers the same fate as so many issues in the latter half of a trade paperback-sized arc, as the narrative stalls a bit with this one. Old Hawkfans will still have fun revisiting a number of new and old incarnations of Hawkman but the story does not move forward in this issue.
Hawkman #11: Roll Call
- Writing - 7/107/10
- Storyline - 5/105/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
